Steve Spurrier: "We Got Clobbered"

Columbia, SC (WLTX) – Gamecocks fans certainly aren’t pleased about what they saw Thursday night in the team’s 52-28 loss to Texas A&M, if the early walkouts and comments on social media are an indicator.

They’re not alone. Head Coach Steve Spurrier isn’t too happy either.

“We got clobbered tonight, that’s all you can say,” Spurrier said after the game. “We’ve got some serious coaching to do before the next game to see if we can be a competitive team. We’ve got to regroup.”

Numbers can sometimes be misleading; this night, though, they tell the story pretty well. The Aggies outgained the Gamecocks 680-433 in total yards. They ran 99 plays to USC’s 62. A&M quarterback Kenny Hill, in his first career start, threw for 511 yards, a school record.

Those 680 total yards and 511 passing yards? Worst-ever for a Gamecock defense in the Spurrier era.

“That team was so much better than us, it wasn’t funny,” he said. “It was a mismatch. If we played again they would be a 21 point favorite.”

USC Defensive Coordinator Lorenzo Ward didn’t have many answers for what happened either.

“We missed a lot of tackles in the open field,” Ward said. “I think It’s got to start with me as a coach. Obviously, I didn’t have the players ready to play like I thought I did.”

Ward said the team will have to work on tackling and other basic fundamentals before the East Carolina game next week.

“We don’t have to worry about any more win streaks,” Spurrier said. “It was a good one while it lasted, and now we can go back to trying to be a decent team and not read the papers too much.”